04 December 2008
By Victoria Everman
In Crafty Goods, Green Home, Green Living
It is no secret: I love Tara Hogan’s work. Founder of Ink+Wit, Tara also took the time to chat with me last year about her art and inspirations. What’s so great about her designs? They’re simple, chic, AND sustainable - the best trifecta. 
While shopping for my new apartment in West Hartford, CT (moving in on January 14th, very excited!), I made sure to drop by Tara’s offical shop for some swank letterpress prints. Imagine how elated I was to find she has new stuff available!
Based on the classic 12 Days of Christmas song, the Everything Counts Poster is a reassuring tribute to 10 little things that matter. The poster is perfect for either a kid’s room or your cozy living space. Tara’s list of responsible, positive elements include:
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02 December 2008
By Victoria Everman
In Exclusive Interviews, Green Living
Many of my fans and readers will no doubt remember that I’ve written for Yoga Journal Magazine numerous times. As an avid yoga practitioner that is considering entering a teacher training program, it may come as a surprise to see me writing about Pilates.
Just because I adore yoga doesn’t mean that there aren’t many more mind/body fitness opportunities - along with yoga, I think Pilates is one of the best out there. When considering the possibility of moving to Philadelphia (I’ll be heading back to Connecticut on January 14th instead), I learned about Equilibrium Pilates. Run by Brie Adina Neff, a certified Pilates teacher with nearly 2 decades of experience, Equilibrium is the kind of small business I love drawing attention to.
Who better to ask about the pros and cons of Pilates than someone with so much talent? While chatting with Brie, we had the chance to discuss her background, the misconceptions of Pilates, the kind of clients she sees, how yoga and Pilates benefit each other, why Pilates is part of the environmental movement, and even more!
After conducting this interview and checking out the Equilibrium Pilates website, I am all the more excited to try Pilates. Seeing Brie doing what she does best on her studio’s Pilates equipment is all the inspiration I need!
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01 December 2008
By Victoria Everman
In Contests
A friendly reminder to all those caught up in the holiday debacle: this Thursday is the last day you can entire to win a copy of the very swank (and helpful) book, Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season.
Visit last Thurday’s post for a hearty review and details on HOW TO ENTER (it’s really easy!).
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25 November 2008
By Victoria Everman
In Commentary
Am I the only one who doesn’t lose their mind at the sign of a dust bunny?
Concern, and downright obsession, about cleanliness and sanitation has swept developed countries, according to an Cult of Clean in the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of Psychology Today.
I can remember being a kid in the 1980s (yeah, I’m only 24), spending time digging in the dirt, playing on the kitchen floor, and doing dishes once a week. Does that mean I was raised in a family of slobs? Not at all! Everyone in my family got sick roughly 3 times a year, including colds and flus. Our immune systems were strong, but if we had taken up the modern, psychotic focus on scrubbing, we would have been miserable.
Spending your life focused on a sterile environment is a life truly wasted. The world is dirty - there is no way around it. As Ella Gudwin, Director of Strategic Initiatives at AmeriCares, says in Cult of Clean, “The whole world is covered in a small film of fecal matter. Just get used to it.”
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20 November 2008
By Victoria Everman
In Books, Contests, Green Living, Reviews
It is no secret that the holidays are stressful. Buying gifts, traveling, cooking, decorating, chilly weather, the flu - it’s enough to drive a person bonkers. Trying to maintain a sustainable mindset during such busy times adds its own unique challenge.
Can you have a sane, eco-holiday? Of course! Authors Jennifer Basye Sander, Peter Sander, and Anne Basye had the foresight to write Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season for this exact purpose. Any questions you have about holiday entertaining, travel, gifts, decorating, and waste are answered in intelligent, easy-to-understand detail.
Green Christmas offers some very sobering details about our holidays’ impact on the environment:
- Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans produce an extra 2 billion pounds of garbage per week. (Imaging that on a world-wide scale!)
- Every Christmas season, enough holiday cards are sold to fill a 1o-story football stadium.
- If every child under the age of 6 received a quality wood toy instead of a plastic one, we’d avoid 17 million tons of plastic landfill.
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19 November 2008
By Victoria Everman
In Writing + Press
Just last month, my 3rd piece for Yoga Journal Magazine hit newsstands in the November 2008 issue. In a matter of days, the December 2008 issue will be available and - you guessed it - I have yet another piece in it!
For this issue, I rounded up a selection of studios that take part in a growing trend to help bring yoga to those of all financial means - donation-based classes.
I wasn’t surprised to find classes in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, but cities of all sizes have options as well. Places like Baltimore, Jefferson City, Athens, Minneapolis, and Pittsburg have studios with donation-based classes at least once a week.
Visit your favorite newsstand next week to pick up a copy of Yoga Journal’s December 2008 issue - as usual, you won’t be disappointed!
My other favorite articles in this issue: All Together Now (page 39, written by my swank YJ editor Charity Ferreira), Talk to Me (page 47), Immunity Boost (page 69), Free From Worry (page 74), Gifts from the Heart (page 83), The Namesake (page 120)
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+ Green Glam Girl has a swank 
